Mindfulness at work

The world of business is increasingly waking up to the fact that Mindfulness, largely based on the ancient practices of meditation, has a great deal to offer beyond the reduction of stress.

Increasingly, major corporations and their employees - who might once have dismissed Mindfulness as "New Age" - are realising that it is as essential to good health and performance as regular physical exercise. Research shows it can even prolong active life.

As the Financial Times recently pointed out, the City of London is in the middle of a quiet revolution, as the frenetic world of finance turns to Mindfulness, not just to counter an alarming increase in stress-related problems that have resulted in a disturbing number of recent deaths, but also to provide greater clarity of thought and creativity in business.

In the US, major corporations including Google, Target and General Mills have also introduced Mindfulness to the workplace.

Brain imaging research has confirmed the effectiveness of Mindfulness.

At much the same time as the Financial Times was writing on the topic, Harvard Business Review carried an interview with Harvard psychologist Dr Ellen Langer, whose research in another, more creativity-based aspect of Mindfulness - centred around "active noticing" - is helping business achieve greater effectiveness and avoid the costs of applying yesterday's solutions to today's problems. In a plea for mindful leadership, Langer argues that "the major, perhaps only task" of those in charge "is to promote mindfulness in those around them".

Learning self-regulation of attention

Rigorous research over more than three decades suggests that the ability to self-regulate - control one's thoughts, emotions, attention or actions - is a critical component of psychological well-being. There is evidence that our self-control processes may function in the same way as a muscle, gaining strength through regular practice.

The development of this capability is a major component of the Mindfulness training conducted by our psychologists.